CAC Chair Hooks Cuts Second Metropolitan Park Casino Hearing Short

Metropolitan Park Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Chair Larinda Hooks cut short Tuesday’s second public hearing to discuss the proposed $8 billion casino and entertainment venue adjacent to Citi Field in Queens as emotions flared.

The livestream provided by the New York State Gaming Commission’s YouTube account stopped with approximately one hour remaining. According to the Queens Eagle, Hooks ended the hearing after some attendees yelled “Shame on you” at her and the CAC after the chair called for the ejection of an attendee who yelled “Sellout!” at one of the speakers backing the project.

“We are not going to disrupt a public meeting in a manner that is happening because it’s not going your way,” Hooks said before ending the meeting. “Please. I’ve asked for respect. You guys should have more respect, and you guys should respect everyone.”

Prior to the premature ending, a sizable majority of public comment had been in favor of the project fronted by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock. It is one of eight applicants vying for up to three downstate casino licenses made available by the New York State Gaming Commission worth $500 million apiece.

The CAC has the authority to schedule another hearing, though no other committee has held more than the minimum mandated two. It may also prove too tight a squeeze since the CAC has until Sept. 30 to vote the forward proposal to the NYSGC. At least four “aye” votes comprising a two-thirds majority are needed to advance the bid.

A testy hearing throughout

Hooks, a New York State Assembly member who self-appointed herself to the CAC and was voted chair, warned at the outset that “If you cannot stay in a respectful manner, you will be asked to leave.” She even gave one person a warning, roughly 40 minutes into the hearing, about being ejected, before cooler heads prevailed.

Most of the hearing featured backers of the project, with many calling the proposed transforming of the Citi Field parking lot into 25 acres of parkland sorely needed as a means of climate mitigation. Union members also continued to staunchly support Metropolitan Park, citing the 23,000 potential jobs that included 17,000 on the construction side.

“It’s not just about work, it’s about what this project gives back to the community,” said Phil Fiorentino, a representative for the New York City District Council of Carpenters. “Twenty-five acres of new park space, green space for families, not just more concrete. A food hall that showcases Queens, giving local vendors a real shot. A revamped 7 train station, safer, accessible, and built for the future.

“The community, the impact trust that puts money into the youth program, senior services, and addiction recovery. This is the kind of project that lifts everybody up. … It’s built union community focus, and it’s got Queens written all over it.”

Other supporters, including civic groups and some local residents, saw the overall transformational nature of the project as something bigger than themselves in the moment.

“This is not just a project that is about a casino or a stadium, this is a lifelong project that is about investing in the community, investing in us, investing in our children, investing in the seniors,” said Flushing resident Nicole Gordon. “This is a project that is going to surpass us. It is time.”

Opponents bristle about Cohen

While almost universally beloved as owner of the New York Mets, Cohen as primary business magnate of this project has drawn local ire. One Queens resident pointed out that Metropolitan Park’s $2 million spend on lobbyists was more than double any of the other applicants.

“The applicant’s average market analysis assumes paying only a 0.3 percent increase in payment in lieu of taxes,” said Margaret Flanagan, an opponent of the proposal. “To me personally, public open space is so much more valuable, but if forced to give it up, I wouldn’t do it for 0.3 percent.

“To my neighbors who like the proposed jobs, did you notice that in the paperwork, the permanent jobs are covered by a neutrality agreement, not a union security agreement? There is currently no guarantee that future jobs can be union.”

One speaker, a journalist named Jessica, recalled Cohen’s firm being indicted for insider trading back in 2013, which resulted in a $1.8 billion fine for the firm and Cohen — who was never charged — receiving a two-year ban from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“It absolutely sickens me that he’s trying to rebrand himself as a job creator who’s interested in the well-being and development of Queens,” she said. “Do not be fooled. Like all of the businesses, this man has spent his life building this. It’s a gambling operation, the goal of which is to squeeze as much money out of the people on the other side.”